Curry Types


Balti Balti is a type of curry served in a thin pressed steel wok-like balti bowl. It is served in many restaurants in the United Kingdom. The general consensus appears to be that the term refers to the pot in which the curry is cooked rather than to any specific ingredient or cooking technique. Where the Balti style of cooking originated is uncertain some people believe it to have been invented in Birmingham England while others believe it originated in the northern Pakistani region of Baltistan in Kashmir from where it found its way to Britain.
Bhuna Bhuna is first and foremost a cooking process where spices are gently fried in plenty of oil to bring out their flavour. Therefore the actual dish bhuna is an extension of that process where meat or fish is added to the spices and then cooked in its own juices which results in deep strong flavours but very little sauce. The popular restaurant style bhuna is a well spiced curry with a thick sauce.
Biryani Biryani is thought to have originally come from Persia way back in the depths of time. It eventually made its way to the sub-continent through different routes via traders and immigrants. The name Biryani itself is derived from the Persian word Birian which means to fry or roast. During the 18th and 19th centuries the dish gained popularity during the Mughal rule in Lucknow and Hyderabad. Over time the popularity of the dish has spawned several variants of it that were invented in the different regions it propagated to. Today it is still a very popular dish.
Dhansak This is a very popular and famous Parsee dish. Interestingly the dhan part of the name means rice and a dhansak is traditionally served with fried and spiced rice. An authentic dhansak will made with lamb and contain vegetables and many different types of dhal.
Dopiaza Dopiaza is a South-Asian curry dish. It is prepared with a large amount of onions both cooked in the curry and as a garnish. Onions are added at two stages during cooking hence the name which means two onions. The dish usually contains a meat or some sort or seafood however it can also be prepared in a vegetarian style and this is becoming a very popular option.
Jalfrezi Jalfrezi is a type of curry which involves frying marinated pieces of meat fish seafood or vegetables in oil and spices to produce a dry tasty and thick sauce. As the dish includes green chillies a jalfrezi can range in heat from a medium dish to a very hot one depending on your bravery and choice. Typically those eating jalfrezi try to cool it down by combining it with cream.
Korma Korma is a popular curry dish originating in South Asia which can be made with yoghurt cream nut and seed pastes or coconut milk. The curry is generally mild in nature and is often considered a good starting curry for children and big babies who do not have the balls to spice up.
Madras The Madras curry is a fairly hot curry sauce red in colour and with heavy use of chili powder. It originates in the south of India and gets its name from the city of Madras now known as Chennai. The heat of the curry can be carefully monitored by the amount of fresh chili that is added some Madras dishes can out power a Vindaloo. This curry can be vegetarian or made with meat seafood or fish. The typical British curry house Madras is a restaurant invention which started life as simply a hotted up version of the standard restaurant curry. Because it is a restaurant invention rather than a traditional recipe the Madras can vary considerably in quality and heat from one restaurant to the next.
Naga Relatively new extremely hot dish with unique savoury taste made with the highly aromatic Naga Morich or Bhut Jolokia chilli pepper. Only for the brave or very insane.
Pasanda Pasanda was originally made with lamb flattened into strips marinated and then fried in a dish with multiple seasonings. In these more enlightened days pasanda is also made using chicken fish or prawns. After the meat is cut and flattened it is placed in a marinade consisting of yogurt chili powder and numerous spices and seasonings which commonly include cumin peppercorn cardamom and garlic. It is often served with white rice or naan bread on the side.
Patia The Patia is a Parsee dish like the Dhansak and is very popular in the UK. It can be a main meal curry but can also appear on some restaurant menus as a starter made with prawns and served with puri bread. It has a deep red colour and is hot and sour. A good Patia will also have a beautiful taste.
Phall Phall is a British curry dish which originated in Indian restaurants in the UK. It is one of the hottest forms of curry regularly available even hotter than the Vindaloo and Tindaloo. This recipe uses a large number of ground standard chili peppers or a hotter type such as naga. The SpiceTheWorld recipe is a classic example of this great dish.
Roghan josh The Rogan josh is one of the all time classic curry house menu items. It was originally a Kashmiri dish and a truly authentic rogan josh will be made with lamb and may contain dozens of spices. Today it is also made with beef or chicken.
Tikka Tikka is a type of Indian food found predominantly in Punjabi cuisine. It usually served as an appetizer. Tikka refers to a piece of meat such as a cutlet and the popular dish chicken tikka is made of chicken cutlets in a marinade. These day’s vegetarian varieties are also popular. A westernised version chicken tikka masala is now a widely popular dish in the United Kingdom. The marinade used in the preparation of chicken tikka is also sometimes called tikka. It is made from a mixture of aromatic spices and yogurt.
Tindaloo The Tindaloo (sometimes called windypoo) is extremely hot in a similar vein to the Phaal. Not available everywhere and is very regional in nature taste and strength. It is generally served in Bradford and other Northern cities in England where the sign of a real man is his curry taste.
Vindaloo The vindaloo was originally a Portuguese dish which took its name from the two main ingredients which were vinho (wine or wine vinegar) and alhos (garlic). Across the passage of time it has spiced up hotted up manned up and generally changed by the indigenous peoples of Goa. Not many restaurants produce an authentic Goan vindaloo not least because the pork used by Christian Goans in their recipe would not be acceptable to Muslim chefs.